The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025: Unique combination of tradition and modernity

Within the framework of the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025, Ho Chi Minh City stage participated with 6 works with unique colors, applying modern performance technologies, bringing new features to traditional stage.

Creative colors

The works of the Ho Chi Minh City stage brought to the festival include: musical Ao Quan (author, director: Chinh Ba, art direction: People's Artist My Uyen, Small Stage Theater 5B); reformed opera Hon Tho Ngoc (author: Le Duy Hanh; director: Meritorious Artist Le Nguyen Dat, Experimental Theater The Gioi Tre ); drama Son Ha (author: Le Duy Hanh, director: Meritorious Artist Le Nguyen Dat, Sen Viet Stage); drama Nguyet Ha (author: Le Duy Hanh; director: People's Artist Hong Van; art advisor: People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau, Hong Van Stage); drama Con Hong Thuy (author: Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Phuc; director: Nguyen Thanh Thuong, Theater - Cinema Branch, Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association), and drama Chuyen Cua Na (author, director: Khanh Hong, Hero Film Entertainment Company Limited).

Each play has its own unique features. The illusion of a breakthrough with a live orchestra, stage performance combined with cinema…. The soul of a jade poem with the attraction of a strong young artist cast, good harmony singing, beautiful artistic creation, combining music and performance of Cai Luong and Hat Boi.

The flood surprised with the revolving stage. Nguyet Ha combined Led screen, singing in English, dialogue between modern people and ancient characters. Son Ha was staged in a solo style, the sound was a combination of traditional and Western instruments, the light was a mix of Led screens, Gauze and laser light to create emotions and aesthetics for the audience.

The play "Son Ha" by Sen Viet Stage participates in the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025

Director - Meritorious Artist Le Nguyen Dat shared after the premiere of Son Ha: “When experimenting with making historical plays with modern colors, combining them with modern elements such as cinema, performance technology..., we want to receive the emotions and evaluations of the audience, especially the young people. From there, we know whether those experiments are suitable and whether they can elevate the quality of the stage or not. Besides bringing diversity and color to the stage, the ultimate goal is still how to make the plays more easily accepted by the audience, making them remember and love history more.”

The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025 organized by the Vietnam Association of Theatre Artists from November 15 to 30 in 4 provinces and cities: Hanoi , Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong.

Honoring exploration and discovery

Among the 28 plays by Vietnamese and international art troupes participating in the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025, there are 9 plays by art troupes from 8 countries: China, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Poland, Uzbekistan. Each work demonstrates new exploration and discovery, is highly experimental, rich and diverse in creative methods and forms of expression, such as: scriptwriter, director, art design, acting, sound, lighting, music, choreography, technique, technology.

Although the content and art of each work are different, they all promote the values ​​of truth, goodness and beauty. In addition, the groups also participate in seminars to discuss the current reality of world stage art and the responsibility of performing to serve the public...

In recent years, Vietnamese theater has recorded that many units have begun to apply modern technology to staging and performance, however the effectiveness is not clear, and has not made an impression on the audience. The main reason is said to be due to the actual conditions of domestic theaters, which have not met new requirements; the process of transferring and applying technology to staging and performance is still unprofessional.

However, for artists who love creativity, applying technology to the stage is an inevitable journey for Vietnam's performing industry to gradually catch up with the world. Mistakes and difficulties will be necessary experiences to find the right direction, suitable to the reality of the domestic stage.

People's Artist Giang Manh Ha, Vice President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, Head of the Organizing Committee of the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025, said: "In the staging method, our stage has long been carried out according to the common denominator of safety, rarely seeing bold breakthroughs, while the uniqueness and difference in experimental theatre compared to other countries, especially European countries, is highly encouraged. Therefore, at this festival, the organizing committee has strongly encouraged new breakthroughs in creativity from Vietnamese stage works participating in the festival. However, all exploration and creation of new things must be built on a solid artistic foundation, high aesthetics, creating appeal to the public, leaving meaningful, valuable and profound life lessons."

THUY BINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lien-hoan-quoc-te-san-khau-thu-nghiem-lan-6-nam-2025-doc-dao-ket-hop-truyen-thong-voi-hien-dai-post825454.html